16

(Yes, you read that right)

I grumble against Dmitri's chest, annoyed at the shrill ring coming from the coffee table. We just put the movie on, and for a second, I consider not answering. "Fuck me," I groan, reaching for my phone because if I ignore it and it's an emergency, I'll regret it.

With a heavy sigh, I glare at Dante's name on the screen.

"This better be important," I say as a greeting, "because I haven't watched the new Top Gun yet, and I already made popcorn."

"Eric, I need you to get to the studio."

The severity of his tone makes me sit up, and Dmitri frowns, scooting closer as I put the call on speakerphone. "What's going on at the studio?"

Dante hesitates, but only for a second. "Tai's there… I got notifications from the security system when he disarmed it and some camera alerts as he moved around the building. It's not super unusual for him to be there, especially recently, but something is wrong."

"What do you mean, wrong ?"

"I'm not sure, exactly… the cameras don't have sound. He was playing piano and stopped to make a couple of phone calls, and now he seems… off."

"Off how?" I growl, jumping up to find my shoes. Something's been off with Tai ever since he got back from that trip, and he won't fucking tell me what it is.

"At first, he paced a bit, and then it… it looked like he was yelling… pulling his hair. It's completely out of character. He ran into the kitchen, and I can't be sure, but there might've been a knife in his hand—"

"Maybe fucking lead with that!" I shout, jamming my feet into my shoes and snatching the keys off the counter. Heart pounding, I turn to Dmitri, and he nods and mouths, " Go. "

Dante's still rambling when I hang up and jump in my car, flying down the road at speeds that would earn me a nice fat ticket if I were pulled over. The studio is fifteen minutes away, and I make it there in nine. The door is unlocked, but there's an eerie silence when I step into the building.

Dread thumps in my veins as I walk through the main area, the evidence of Tai's presence in pieces around the room. His jacket hangs on the hooks, his keys beside it, and a water bottle near his piano.

A light is on in the kitchen, and I pop my head inside to find it empty. That's when I hear it.

A sob.

Unease settles in my gut as I make my way through the hall, stumbling to a halt as I try to sort out what's in front of me. Piles of black string are strewn haphazardly across the floor, getting thicker as I approach the bathroom. A knife glints from the doorframe, reflecting the light from inside, surrounded by more of the mess. Steeling my spine, I take a few cautious steps forward and discover Tai on the ground, head tucked into his knees and shoulders shaking.

My throat forces a rough swallow as I survey his broken form, but I'm not prepared for what I find. His gorgeous, waist-length hair has been violently hacked away in chunks. It lies in clumps on the floor, heaps of it tossed and discarded, thrown around like some sort of sick confetti.

"Tai?" In a panic, I race over, collapsing beside him as he crumbles and drops his head into my lap. Raw, convulsing sobs jolt his entire body, his cries escaping in a wheeze as though there's no air in his lungs to fuel them.

What happened to him?

And how do I help? Where the fuck do I even start?

My eyes burn, and the lump in my throat chokes me as I wrap my arms around him. This… this I can do. The broken sounds of his gasping inhales make me feel completely powerless, so I squeeze tighter, trying to provide any ounce of relief I can offer.

Several minutes pass, and gradually he regains control of himself, but I refuse to release him. When his breathing has slowed and his sobs have reduced to hiccups and sniffles, I risk speaking. "Do you want to talk about it?"

He doesn't answer right away, instead wrapping his arms around my leg and hugging me back. In the years that I've known him, Tai has never appeared as fragile as he does in this moment. He's always felt infallible, like nothing could ever be strong enough to get past his cool exterior, much less take him down.

He's steady. Stable.

And notoriously closed-off.

Tai has always been effortlessly mysterious, a book that you suspect has one of those twisted endings. You know the type, where you're convinced the story is heading in one direction, then you get thrown for a loop in the last few chapters.

He's always been hard to read, even to those that know him best. There was always something lying in wait under his skin, something I could never put my finger on. Dangerous, even, not explosive like a gun, but more insidious, like a poison.

And now, too late, I realize it's been slowly eating away at him.

Tai holds secrets, we all know that. Even as his best friend, I'm sure I could fill a book with the things I don't know about him. I've been so distracted with my own life—with my own happiness —to notice that he was falling apart.

I knew something was wrong. Of course I did.

I just failed to act, and what does that say about me?

"Yeah," he says, startling me. His normally honey-smooth voice is thick and raspy, and he doesn't pull his head from my lap or meet my eyes. "Yeah, I think… I think I need to talk to someone about this."

With a shaky inhale, his chest rises and falls as the story slips out, sharing the details of the trip he spent with this man. Connor. I want to spit his name out of my mouth, but I don't interrupt. I let him speak, running my fingers through his hair as he talks.

By the time he's done, it's hard for me to control the shaking in my hands.

I'm pissed .

How could anyone in their fucking right minds choose to do something like this to Tai, of all people?

As I'm contemplating the best way to hunt this man down and beat him bloody, Tai sits up. The broken expression on his face bleeds the fury from my body, replaced by a determination to erase it.

"I really fucked up, Eric." Tears slide down his red cheeks, his eyes are puffy and bloodshot, and his hair is a mess.

"You did nothing wrong."

"He was married. I fucked a married man… I gave a piece of myself to a man who had nothing to give me."

"Did you know he was married?"

Tai sighs, more exhausted than I've ever seen him. "He admitted he was, but said they were separated. According to him, it had been years since they split up, and the divorce was just held up in legal proceedings, waiting to be final."

"Then how were you supposed to know any different?" I ask gently.

He wipes his eyes and lets his head thunk against the wall. "Was I so desperate to be loved that I let him in that easily, no questions asked? Allowed him to make me believe it was… more?" Another quiet sob hiccups from his chest, more tears pooling in his eyes. "I knew him, Eric, I did. And I let him know me… the real me, no hiding. No masks. How did I get it so fucking wrong?"

"I don't know." I sigh as I scan the mess scattered on the floor. "But you'll survive this, brother… we'll make sure of that. You've got help… you know that, right? You don't have to tackle this alone."

"Your wedding is in three days, man. You shouldn't even be here with me."

"Don't do that," I scold, standing and dusting my hands off on my jeans before I reach for him. He stares at my hand for a moment before he takes it and lets me pull him to his feet. "Don't diminish your importance in my life just because other stuff is going on. You are my best friend, Tai, and if I had to stop in the middle of the wedding because you needed me, I would."

He sniffles as he falls into my arms, hugging me tight. "Dmitri would kill me."

"He'd get over it," I say, rubbing my palms over his back. "I have ways of being very convincing when I need to be." A weak chuckle sneaks out, and I grip his shoulders and hold him at arm's length, scanning him head to toe. "Now, can I be honest? You kinda look like Pennywise, and it's creeping me out." He chokes out a wet laugh as he glances at the strands covering the floor.

"He loved my hair," he whispers, and fuck if it doesn't ignite my rage all over again.

"Come on, let's get you looking pretty." I grab him by the arm and lead him past the destruction in the studio. I'll come back later and clean it up. "Are you okay to drive?"

"Yeah, I'm good."

"Follow me home, and for the love of God, let me fix the Chia pet on your head." His laugh is a weak, forced thing, but it's better than nothing. He nods his agreement and follows me out the door.

"Now, isn't that better?"

Tai's face is still swollen and red as he glances in the mirror, running his fingers over his hair. "It's weird seeing it short. I've been growing it out for so many years that I couldn't remember what I looked like without it."

Enough was left on top to keep it longer, but the sides had to be buzzed low. "If you put bubbles in it, I bet it will stand up in a nice faux hawk."

He offers me a small smile in the mirror, and I give his arm a squeeze before I move to pack up my clippers. "Take a shower. I'll throw clean clothes in here for you to wear, and if you need to stay, we have a spare bed."

"Nah, I wouldn't intrude like that," he says, glancing at me and then Dmitri beyond me, who leans against the kitchen island pretending he isn't eavesdropping. "I will steal a shower, though."

I nod and pull the door closed behind me, leaving him to his business. When I walk into the bedroom to gather clothes for him, Dmitri follows. For as much as his jealousy likes to come out to play when it comes to my friendship with Tai, he couldn't hide the heartbreak on his face when he saw him walk into our house. "Is he going to be okay?"

"Yeah, he will. He's tough." The smallest pair of sweats I own will swallow him whole, but I grab them and a t-shirt, rapping on the bathroom door with my knuckles. Water runs in the shower, so I pop inside. "Hey, just dropping off something to wear. Don't accidentally flash me your junk or anything."

"Stupid fucker," he mutters with a laugh that sounds more genuine. I leave the clothes on the counter and grab his dirty ones off the floor. In the kitchen, I'm shoving them in a bag when his phone rings in his pants pocket.

I dig it out, an unsaved number flashing on the screen. The alert at the bottom tells me Tai called this number an hour ago, right before I found him at the studio. That barely suppressed rage resurfaces in an instant, and my hands shake as I swipe to answer. "Hello?"

There's a pause, then a man's voice cracks as it says, "Tai?"

"No, this isn't fucking Tai," I spit, clutching the phone so hard my fingers hurt. "This is his best friend who's picking up the pieces of his goddamned broken heart."

"Broken heart?" The audacity of this fucker, pretending to be shocked by his own actions. "Fuck," he grunts, heaving a sigh so heavy it reaches through the phone. "Can I talk to him?"

"Can you talk to him?" I parrot, sarcasm dripping off my words. "You've done enough damage, buddy."

"You don't—"

"He deserves so much better than this. So much better."

"Just—"

"Be glad we aren't face to face, asshole, because you would regret hurting him. Don't think I'd even hesitate to knock your lying ass to the ground. He is an incredible man, better than anyone I've ever met. Fuck you, Connor. "

"Will you please just let me—"

"No, you've lost your fucking chance. You don't get to talk, and I'm sure as shit not going to listen. He is destroyed , dude. If you had seen how I found him… Fuck you. Fuck. You. Don't call again."

My entire body shakes in anger as I hang up. As the shower shuts off, I glance over my shoulder, making sure I'm not being watched, before returning my attention to the phone as I make my decision. I block the number and delete the incoming call from his history before shoving his phone back in his pocket.

I wasn't paying attention before, but I sure as shit am now. He's in no position to watch out for himself, so someone else needs to do it for him.

It's for his own good.